A Coca Cola is on a mission to spread its philosophy of ‘Magic Happens’ and the charm of human connections during the Christmas season through a new anthology of short films titled ‘The Santa Claus Stories’.
The global beverage brand invited some of Hollywood’s biggest talents: Steven Caple Jr, the award-winning director and screenwriter of ‘Transformers: Dawn of the Beasts’, and director Bryce Dallas Howard, of ‘The Mandalorian’, to bring their cinematic visions to two new short films.
Developed and produced in collaboration with WPP Open X, led by VML, Imagine Entertainment and PRETTYBIRD, ‘The Santa Stories’ was released on Prime Video and on the Coca-Cola YouTube channel. Each chapter is a reminder of the Santa Claus that lives in all of us and reimagines the representation of the Good Old Man in very different ways:
‘The Ticket’ (directed by Bryce Dallas Howard) stars Irish actor Colm Meaney, who plays ‘The No Man’, whose festive goodwill is restored by a mysterious message in a bottle.
I feel encouraged by a brand like Coca-Cola, which carries a huge cultural legacy, putting so much energy into artists, creatives, storytellers and stories that will move people and give us a moment to breathe and remember who we are. We all want to connect and experience those feelings of love and community, and I felt that deeply in the collaborative experience of making this short. I hope people can feel the same way when they watch it, explains director Bryce Dallas Howard.
‘Ho Ho Roubo’ (directed by Steven Caple Jr.) starring Oscar-winning American actress Octavia Spencer and Screen Actors Guild Awards-winning actor Scoot Mcnairy. In this thriller, Santa Claus ends up being arrested!
What attracted me most to this project was the theme that the world needs more Santas and what Santa Claus represents for us, as people and as a society. The idea that we’re trying to touch on generosity, kindness and how much people need it around the world, reminded me of love and my childhood, caring about other people. This is all part of this special Christmas and is in character with Santa Claus, added director Steven Caple Jr.
Following the launch of its latest Christmas anthology last year, The Santa Stories is Coca-Cola’s latest content, part of the brand’s Christmas marketing campaign: ‘Awaken the Santa in You’, which aims to show how Real magic multiplies when people embrace their inner Santa Claus, bringing connections with the spirit of kindness, generosity and goodwill.
Stories have the superpower to move people and inspire change. With these shorts, we want to add more depth to the way we tell stories at Coca-Cola through authentic narratives. Santa Claus is so intertwined with the story of Coca-Cola that we saw a wonderful opportunity to explore another imaginative dimension to what he represents that people don’t expect to see. Extracting all the creativity from the people who love and interact with our brand was fundamental to the success of this campaign. Working with all the incredible talent on this project demonstrated the beauty of an open co-creation model that makes the brand better, making the story more impactful, representing the true magic of human connection, said Islam ElDessouky, Global Director of Strategy Coca-Cola Creative & Content.
Consumers can now watch the films Ho Ho Roubo and The Ticket on Prime Video from Amazon. The shorts will be available to all Prime members at no additional cost and will also be shown on the Coca-Cola YouTube channel.
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